The Best Time to Visit Cape Verde

Climate in Cape Verde

The climate on Cape Verde is so mild and dry all year round that the Cape Verde Islands are often called “the islands of eternal summer”. The archipelago with nine inhabited islands in the Atlantic Ocean belongs to the African island state Cape Verde. All year round, the Republic of Cabo Verde, as it is officially called, attracts visitors from all over the world. It has a mild oceanic climate which is determined by the northeasterly trade wind. As you can see from the climate table below, the differences in temperature between day and night are very small in Cape Verde. The climate is characterized by about 40 to 60 percent humidity and the precipitation is very low. You can compare the climate with the climate in the Canaries, for example. On the popular Cape Verde islands Sal, Boa Vista or Santa Maria the average temperature is between 23 and 30 degrees Celsius all year round. Nevertheless, the best travel time for the Cape Verde Islands can still be picked out for you! Read on to find out when!

Find out when it is most worthwhile to visit the Republic of Cape Verde and what kind of weather awaits you on your holiday.

Weather and Best Time to Travel in Cape Verde

Cape Verde doesn’t really have four seasons, but rather just two: the windy season (Tempo das Brisas) from mid-October to mid-July and the rainy season (Tempo das chuvas) from mid-August to mid-October, which is the hottest at the same time. However, the probability of rain is minimal even during the rainy season. Therefore, basically, all months of the year are suitable for a nice holiday on Cape Verde. The air temperature is between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius throughout the year and the water temperature varies between 23 and 26 degrees Celsius. From November to May it almost never rains on the Cape Verde Islands. During this time there are sometimes stormy winds that carry the sand from the Sahara across the Atlantic and provide a cloudy sky. This explains the relatively few hours of sunshine during the day. Nevertheless, it is very warm and you can have a lovely holiday there. Determining the best time to travel to Cape Verde depends on what you want to do during your holiday. Find out below when the best time to travel is for a beach holiday, surfing as well as other holiday activities.

Best Time to Travel to Cape Verde

Beath Holiday

End of March to mid-August & mid-October to mid-December

Surfing

Winter months (Christmas holidays)

Hiking Vacation

November to May

High season

June until mid-August

Best time for a beach holiday in Cape Verde

For a beach holiday on the islands Sal or Boa Vista, I recommend from the end of March to mid-August and mid-October to middle-December. So you can avoid the tropical autumn months and the partly cooler and windy winter months at night and enjoy a nice holiday on the beach. The high season in Cape Verde lasts from July to mid-August. Therefore it is advisable to switch to the low season. Because during the high season the hotels are usually already booked out early, whereby short-term journeys become more expensive. At the same time, the beaches are overcrowded in summer and the hot temperatures are not so comfortable for sightseeing tours.

Best time to surf the Cape Verde Islands

The time of the winds from October to mid-July is best for swimming and surfing The optimal surfing conditions are in the winter months, from the end of November to January/February. Then Cape Verde’s dry and hot Harmattan wind blows, giving you perfect conditions for swimming and surfing.

Best travel time for bathing, hiking and exploring the Cape Verde Islands

The Cape Verde Islands are not only characterized by miles of white sandy beaches and a wonderful blue sea water. The unique flora and fauna of Cape Verde attracts as many nature lovers as beach holidaymakers. Therefore one of the main activities in Cape Verde is hiking followed by sunbathing and surfing. Discover the almost untouched nature of dry grasslands, dunes and salt marshes!

The best travel time for hikers and explorers are the dry and mild months in winter and spring. In the months January, February, March, April, May, November, and December there is almost no precipitation. You can enjoy every day of your holiday with pleasant temperatures. In the winter months of December and January, temperatures can drop as low as 19 degrees in the evenings and at night-time. Therefore I recommend packing some warmer clothes in these months. With day temperatures along the 23 to 26 degrees Celsius and a water temperature of 24 degrees Celsius nothing stands in the way of a bathing holiday in Cape Verde’s winter. At Christmas time in December, the locals who live abroad return to the Cape Verde Islands to be with their families. This makes the popular islands of Boa Vista, Santa Maria, Sal or Fogo and their beaches more crowded. Do you want to spend a quiet bathing holiday with a guarantee of great weather much rainfall? Then I recommend the months April, May, and November as the best time to travel to Cape Verde.

Rainy Season in the Cape Verde Islands

Although in the months from mid-August to mid-October most of the rain falls on the Cape Verde Islands on average, there is no real rainy season like in other tropical places. On average only three rainy days in August, six rainy days in September and five rainy days in October await you in the Cape Verde rain season. This corresponds to about 100 millimeters of rain, which can not be compared with tropical rain as it is known from other regions with a rainy season. If there is rain during your holiday during the rainy season, you don’t have to worry that the holiday will fall into the water. After the short shower, the island state shines again in pure sunshine and invites you to great activities in wonderful warm weather around 29 degrees Celsius.

My conclusion about the best travel time for the Cape Verde Islands

The mild oceanic climate on Cape Verde ensures warm and pleasant weather all year round. The precipitation is very low and is partly absent even in the so-called rainy season between mid-August and mid-October. Even when it rains it shouldn’t affect your holiday. Rain showers are normally quite short on these isles. The best travel time for beach vacationers, which would like to explore and wander gladly also the islands, is the dry and mild season in the winter and in the spring. Perfect weather conditions for hiking and bathing prevail in the months November to May. If you want to fly to Cape Verde outside mass tourism, the months of April, May, and November are the best months. The best travel time for surfers is in the winter months during the time of the winds. The dry-hot wind causes high waves and endless fun on the surf. If you are traveling in winter, you should be aware that during the coldest months of December, January and February, temperatures can drop a bit more at nighttime. You should, therefore, bring suitable clothing for the cooler evenings and nights.